Buying Local: The Common Thread

Durham-based apparel companies are growing in numbers. Aside from a dedicated emphasis placed on quality and design, these companies share a common passion: Durham, the place where great things happen.

Runaway Clothing is a southern lifestyle brand that aims to connect with those who run from convention and confinement. Founder and designer Garbriel Eng-Goetz chose Durham as the brand's home base and the ideal place to launch Runaway's effort to answer the call for Southern style with urban appeal.

Durham City Goods, makers of the ever present Dur-Ham t-shirt, began as a love letter to Durham in 2008. Longtime  resident, owner and designer, Marika Wendelken, pays tribute to the Bull City and its colorful history and gritty undertones.

Duke University graduate, Rachel Weeks chose Durham as the home for her sustainable collegiate apparel line, School House. As a Fulbright scholar, Weeks traveled to Sri Lanka on a mission to bring ethical fashion to her alma mater. Her mission began in Durham and has since grown in Durham - while her product is manufactured at a living wage facility in Sri Lanka, School House is headquartered downtown in the Bull City.

Look for these companies and many more Durham-based products on Durham Stuff and throughout Shop Independent Durham Week.